Improvement in wood pavements



W. H. STOW. 'Wood Pavement.

No. 220,887. Patented Oct. 2l, 1879.

fag. z. h-m` m F! NPETERS. PHoTu-UTHOGRAFHER. wASHI Ulvrran S 'rarasPATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. STOW, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Specilication forming part of Letters Patent No. 220,887, dated October21, 1879; application filed December 31, 1878.

To all whom imag-conecta:

Bc it known that I, WM. H. Brow, of Ghicago, in the county of" Cook andState, of -Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements-in Roundand Split Block Wood Pavements; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description of the same, reference being4had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference markedthereon.

The roundblock pavements, made from small round blocks of cedar orcypress, have heretofore, very soon after being laid, become rough bywear, so as to present a surface more uneven than an ordinaryCobble-stone roadway, owing tothe fact that the blocks, all being round,do not protect the edges of one another, and the centers being moredurable, these edges wea-r downI so as to leavev the rounded centersprojecting at intervals above the general surface, and this uneven wearis assisted by the rigid foundations employed. The object, therefore, ofmy invention is to produce a round-block `pavement wherein the edges ofthe blocks will be much better protected, and the surface will wear moreuniformly than heretofore, the pavement at the same time being cheaper,(material of a more varied character being used,) while it can Vbe aseasilylaid-down.

My invention therein consists, first, in an upper course for a woodpavement composed of small round blocks 'and large half-round blocks,(large round blocks split centrally into two parts,) in about equalproportions, and laid promiscuously, or mingled, so th atthe durablecenters of thelarge half-round blocks will protect the edges of thesmall round blocks; second, in a wood pavement composed of this peculiaruppercourselaid upon a board-licoring 5 third, in providing a round andsplit block pavement with gutters constructed wholly of small roundblocks; and, further, in a wood pavement having gutters made of smallround blocks, and the body-of the pavement of large half-round blocks,laid in regular rows across the street, and so as to break joints, allas fully hereinafter explained.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a. perspective view of a portion of myblock pavement, composed of mingled round and split blocks, the

vare laid in regular rows across board-ooring being also shown; and Fig.2, a top view of my pavement, having the halfround blocks breakingjoints, and with the gutters madek of small round blocks.

The street is 'irst properly graded and covered with sand or gravel, andupon the sand or gravel islaid the board or plank flooring A,

with the boards laid, preferably, lengthwise of the street. Upon thisboard-flooring 1s placed my upper course, B, of round and split blocks.

This course is composed of small round blocks a and large split blocksb, which latter are made from the large round blocks split in thecenter, and are substantially of semicircular shape. These round andhalf-round blocks are promiscuouslymingled in about equal proportions,and laid upon the boardtlooring, the large half-round blocks protectingthe edges of the small round blocks, as already explained. The blocksmay then be flooded with tar or pitch, and covered with sand or gravel;or they mayhave the interstices filled with gravel, and the surface thencovered wi th tar or pitch, and then with a coating of sanglier theblocks may be covered, and the spaces f1 ed with gravel, withoutemploying tar or pitr h.

I have also designed to make the upper course of large half-roundblocks, c, Fig. 2, laid in regular rows across the street, the blocks ofone row breaking joints with those of the adjoining rows, and the blocksof each row being reversed alternately, the round side of one blockbeing in one direction, and the round side of the next block in theopposite direction, so that they will t close together without leavingmuch space.

I also intend to construct the gutters of this last pavement, and of thefirst-described pavement, in some cases, of small round blocks d, whichwill serve for the gutters, there not loeing much travel over them.

All these blocks may be made of red or yellow cedar, cypress, ortamarack, and by using both large and small blocks there is less wasteof material, and the pavement can be made cheaper.

I am aware that a round and split block pavementhas been patented, wherethe blocks the street, of

split and round blocks, the blocks of each kind being grouped together;but this pavement is not practieable,the small round blocks not beingprotected, and the cost of constructing the pavement being much morethan when the round and split blocks are laid promiscuously.

I am also aware that it is customary, in laying roundblock pavement-s,to drive split portions of blocks into the larger interstices, and thata rouudblock pavement has been pat ented showing a number of half-roundand split blocks interspersed among the round blocks; but I never knewof a pavement being laid, previous to my invention, having the uppercourse composed of small round blocks and large half-round blocks, inabout equal proportions, laid promiscuously.

What I claim as my invention is 1. The upper course of a wood pavement,composed of small round blocks and of large half-round blocks, in aboutequal proportions, and laid promiscuously, so that the edges ot' theround blocks will be protected by the halfround blocks, substantially asdescribed and shown.

2. A wood pavement composed of a boardooring, A, and an upper course, B,of small round blocks and large half-round blocks, in about equalproportious,a11d laid promiscuously, so that the edges of the roundblocks will be protected by the half-round blocks, substantially asdescribed and shown.

3. A round aud split block pavement, having the gutters composed whollyof small round blocks, substantially as described and shown.

4. A wood pavement having the center of the rpadway made Wholly ofhalf-round blocks placed in regular rows, breaking joints, and with theglitters paved with small round blocks, substantially as described andshown.

This specification signed and witnessed this 4th day of November, 1878.

WILLIAM H.' s'roW.

Witnesses GEO. T. PITKIN, J. E. WooDMAN.

